I take out the trash almost three times as much when I’m on my period. My roommate’s and my period cycles overlap, so there ends up being a lot of pads when it’s that time of month. A lot of them. A few months ago, I started wondering about the garbage truck that squeals by on trash days and all my pads just sitting in a sky-high pile of plastic. Thus, I began my reusable period product journey, and I’ve never been happier!
I did quite a bit of research before undergoing this lifestyle change and discovered three types of reusable menstrual products: cloth pads, Thinx period underwear, and menstrual cups. With all of them, it was clear that I’d need to be super comfortable and hands-on with my bodily fluids, but that was an easy challenge to conquer. There’s nothing disgusting about my period! In fact, it’s my body’s courtesy call, letting me know things down there are healthy and normal.
- Cloth Pads
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Cloth pads can be really great for some people. They’re cheap, familiar, and easy to wash by hand or in the wash. If you own a sewing machine, you can even save some money and make them yourself.
Unfortunately, they weren’t a great fit for me. As someone with a heavy flow, my blood would seep outwards towards the edges of the pad and stain my thighs and whatever pants I was wearing. They were also uncomfortable to wear to sleep. The single button holding the flaps together under my underwear wasn’t enough to keep the pad from moving around during my sleep.
It is, however, the cheapest option. So, if you want to use cloth pads, I recommend looking for ones with Velcro attachments, or more than one button along the flaps.
- Thinx Period-Proof Underwear
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I bought nine pairs of underwear from Thinx that cost me $283 altogether.
Oh, we can talk about that dollar sign. It was a huge investment, especially in this day and age when more and more menstruating people are advocating for free period hygiene products. Corporations like Thinx that sell period products are undoubtedly profiting from a fundamental bodily function. They are also very obviously marketing towards middle- and upper-class menstruating people who can afford their products. The whole deal makes it clear that it’s not enough to simply advocate for free regular pads and tampons. That would just make plastic more widely available and more harmful to the environment. All corporations should be accountable for making their menstrual products affordable and accessible to all.
Tangent aside, Thinx (https://www.shethinx.com) worked very well for me. On their website, I got to choose from several different colors and styles of underwear, like briefs, French cut, sleep shorts, high waist, and more. The underwear also came in different absorbance levels. I found that the moderate flow levels worked well even on high flow days, but this might be specific to each individual.
Washing was also relatively easy. I kept my used underwear in a bucket, threw them in the wash halfway through or at the very end of my period, and then hung them up to dry. You can even wash Thinx with your other laundry since it doesn’t stain your other clothes!
- Menstrual Cups
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There are regular menstrual cups, and then there is the Flex Cup.
I bought a Flex Cup (https://flexfits.com/products/flexcup) for $36, which is a little pricier than regular menstrual cups, but I was attracted to the idea of a pull tab. As a first-time user, I was apprehensive about inserting and removing a cup without a pull tab. But, if I’m being honest, it didn’t add much to convenience. The pinch-and-remove method works just as well (and sometimes even better) than the pull tab. Buying a regular menstrual cup could probably save you more money without impacting convenience.
The Flex Cup ended up being the most useful menstrual product for me, but there’s definitely a learning curve! I experimented with many different cup folds for insertion, and as a beginner, I found the punch-down fold to be the best. It makes the mouth of the cup much smaller and easier to fit through your vaginal opening. However, even with the right fold, insertion takes a couple tries. I had to remember to push the cup forward and back towards my tailbone, not just forward or back. If inserted properly, you shouldn’t be able to feel it!
Of course, the process was new and intimidating. There was this initial suctioning feeling that I thought was going to hurt but didn’t. Once the cup bloomed open inside me, it was a super comfortable fit.
I still went through three pairs of underwear on my first day though. There was just this thin streak of red, butt to crotch, on all my underwear. Inserting properly definitely takes a few tries to get right. That, and wiping well (get at all that residual blood!).
Water is essential for the whole process– anything from a bidet to one of those gardening spouts that us South Asians like to call bodnas or lotas. Just be thorough and take your time. Once I figured it out, there were absolutely no stains.
Removal was also super easy for me! With the Flex Cup, you can use the pull tab, but again, I found that pinching and removing keeps the mouth of the cup small when it passes through your vaginal opening. There was a bit of pressure as the suction broke, and then I was able to dump the contents in the toilet, give it a quick rinse, and reinsert! After my period, I let my cup sit in a pot of boiling water for 5-10 minutes to give it a deeper clean.
While experimenting with the menstrual cup, I thought a bit about public restrooms too. Since water is critical for the whole process, I wondered what I’d do if I was someplace where I didn’t have a sink or bathtub nearby. For me, I think the solution would just be to go in prepared. Take water bottles – three, four, however many you need – into public restrooms with you because every effort counts when it comes to saving the planet!